Police crackdown on anti-social behaviour in Lancing

The local neighbourhood policing team has been granted a Section 35 dispersal order which gives officers the power to move individuals from a specific area.

Police are using their new powers under the revised Anti-social and Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

It comes after a number of reported instances across Lancing in recent weeks which has caused some concern for police.

PC Robert Luff, of Lancing’s neighbourhood policing team, said: “We have noticed a slight increase in groups of youths causing anti-social behaviour in the town. These powers enable us to effectively disrupt and discourage their behaviours and low level criminality.

“We are also involving drug and alcohol intervention workers so that we can address the problems long-term.”

The order was first introduced at the end of May and initially covered Sompting Road and Penstone Park but has now been increased to cover North Road, Crabtree Lane, South Street, Monks Recreation Ground, North Farm Road, Wembley Avenue and Annweir Avenue.

The exclusion means those people moved on cannot return to that area for 48 hours and if anyone breaches its terms they could be arrested.

The time scale for implementing the dispersal order is under constant review, but is likely to last throughout the rest of the summer.

A Sussex Police spokesman added that since the initial order had been placed in May, ten youths have been given an official dispersal order warning.

One has subsequently been arrested and another youth has been issued with a Community Protection Notice.

Two others have also been dealt with for drug offences and one for a public order offence.

The spokesman said: “The dispersal order is not designed to create an exclusion zone or a curfew area, but is intended to make the area more pleasant for those who live, work and visit.

“Police will not necessarily disperse people in this area just because they are in a group; it is aimed at giving police additional powers to deal more effectively with groups causing problems in the area.”

Any incidents of anti-social behaviour can be reported by emailing 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101.

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